all the girls. john stanton said there are actually people who woke up . right now on "first look," no dies fce for rice. she meets with her republican critics but fails to sway them. power ball fever spreads across the country as the jackpot climbs to a record 500 million big ones. and 'tis the season. find out which companies ended up on the naughty and nice list. today president obama will be holding a series of meetings with leaders of large corporations to talk about averting the tax hikes and budget cuts from the so-called fiscal cliff. the president met with small

business owners on tuesday to talk about the effect on their companies from taxes and other charges. right now congress is stalled over finding a solution as democrats demand higher taxes for high wage earners while republicans want cuts to entitlement programs. and last night on hardball, former republican senator alan simpson gave his thoughts on the fiscal cliff and failure of lawmakers to reach an agreement. p. >> they love their party more than they love their country. how it we get to that point, don't ask me, but the whole business of reform and money in the campaign and beat up the guy, and it's not a case of who wins. it's you want to be sure somebody loses. and i say to people whether it's grover norquist or whatever, lord's sake, if you can't step up to the plate, what can happen to you? they can't murder you, they can't burn your house. the only thing they can do is defeat for you re-election by throwing some coo-coo from the left or right on you and if that means more than your country

when it's extremity patriots instead of panderer, you shouldn't even be in the damn congress. >> tonight chris matthews delivers your daily dose of political analysis from the nation's capital. don't miss hardball with chris matthews weekdays at 5:00 and 7:00 eastern only on msnbc, the place for politics. elsewhere on the hill, u.n. ambassador susan rice spent her day behind closed doors explaining statements she made back this september about the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. however as brian mooar reports, her defense failed to convince her republican critics. >> reporter: embattled u.n. ambassador susan rice went to capitol hill to explain what they knew and now knows about the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. but she failed to silence her republican critics. >> all i can tell you, that the concerns i have are greater today than they were before and we're not even close to getting the basic answer. >> reporter: rice was accompanied by acting cia director michael morell who

helped explain the flawed talking points rice repeated in talk show appearances days after the libya attack. in a statement rice said we certainly wish we had perfect information, as is often the case, the intelligence assessment has evolved. >> she said what she believed was true and she was under no political influence from the white house. >> reporter: republicans aren't buying that. >> we are significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got and some that we didn't get. >> reporter: rice is also defending her own potential nomination as secretary of state. the white house says the focus on rice is about washington politics. >> people are more interested in talking points from a sunday show than they are about finding out what happened in benghazi. >> reporter: that attack now a front line for a political battle on capitol hill. brian mooar, nbc news, washington.

elsewhere, the tampa socialite caught up in the scandal involving david petraeus is going on the offensive. after two weeks of silence, kelley's lawyer has released e-mails designed to prove she never acted inappropriately. one letter demands to know who in the government leaked kelley's name to the media after she received e-mail from paula broadwell. meantime the investigation into e-mails between kelley and general john allen has been narrowed down to between 60 and 70 messages that according to a defense official, quote, bear a fair amount of scrutiny. on a much lighter night, tonight is the night when someone could win the largest power ball jackpot in history. it's $500 million and counting. lottery officials say with brisk sales, the estimated jackpot could rise again before tonight's drawing. and while of course the odds are stacked against you, at one to

175 million, jay gray reports plenty of folks are lining up to pay $2 to dream. >> reporter: the rush for the right numbers is on this morning. millions looking to beat the odds and the deadline before tonight's power ball drawing. >> give me two separate power balls. >> reporter: lottery officials stay a billion tickets are more will be sold before the numbers are pulled tonight. >> people are crazy about power ball. it's big money. >> reporter: the biggest money in power ball history, a jackpot of $500 million and growing. >> who knows? maybe your day. >> reporter: to be your day, you'd have to beat 175 million to one odds. for comparison, you have a better chance at becoming an astronaut, being elected president, winning an academy award, or being struck by lightning multiple times. still, it that doesn't stop players from planning how they'll spend their winnings.

>> i think i would buy an island. just buy an island. it would be my island. >> an aston martin. >> i think i would probability retire, maybe live on a yacht. >> reporter: others are quite sure about what they wouldn't do if they won. >> i have a job interview tomorrow. i wouldn't go on that. >> reporter: chances are none of us are quitting our day jobs. but -- >> you're always hopeful that you'll win something. >> reporter: because somebody has to win. right? jay gray, nbc news. >> right? all right. well, if there is any doubt the holidays are fast approaching, here is a sure sign. tonight is the traditional lighting of the world famous rockefeller center christmas tree and bill karins is braving the cold on the plaza for us. bill, you have your lotto ticket. we'll see if you're here. >> if i hit it, i will definitely show up. i will be here. who is going to give you a hard time if i'm not the here? >> that's actually true. i think you enjoy that more than

anything. >> much more than winning the lotto, yes. well, good morning, everyone. obviously we're live, we're out here in front of the christmas tree, the world famous rockefeller center christmas tree which will be lit later on this evening. this stands 75-feet tall. 50-feet wide. the tallest ever was 100 feet and this is the 80th year that we've had a christmas tree out here on the plaza and again you can watch it tonight live on nbc, 8:00, 7:00 central. an amazing cast and crew out there. special paeshlss by billy crystal, bette midler and of course the musical performances are what everyone turns in for, trace adkins, mariah carey, cee lo green and rod stewart, of course all hosted by al roker and a van in florisavannah guth. it's chilly out here. windchill about 32 degrees. but with clear skies, a lot better than the mess we saw yesterday with the rain and snow mix. so let's me give you the forecast. that storm we saw yesterday is gone. it did dump a couple inches

especially in areas around the poconos, southern new england picked up an inch or so, but very minor impacts. temperatures this morning for the most part are right around freezing to just above. so especially the untreated secondary roads that saw the snow could be a little slippery. but later on this afternoon, it should be plenty warm. once the sun comes up, we'll jump up into the low 40s and that's about it for today. the breeze will make it feel like it's in the 30s. rest of the country, very cold in the middle of the nation and that remains so this morning with windchills all the way down to 38 in san antonio. but the good news is sunshine just about for everyone. the exception being the west coast, that's where all the stormy weather is. and it is a little chilly out here and i was thinking that if you were out here, i would definitely bring you some hot chocolate with whipped cream on top because i'm a nice by like that. >> hint hint. noted, bill. i will be down there in about 20 minute so is we can practice our duet for tonight. so warm up those vocals. i'll get the hot chocolate brewing. >> please don't. >> all right, bill, thanks.

well, a bad break for big tobacco and another firing in the apple maps fiasco. and kate middleton shows off a new do. that's all straight ahead. you're watching first look on msnbc. [ male announcer ] this december, remember -- what starts with adding a friend... ♪ ♪ ...could end with adding a close friend. ♪

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some stories making news this morning. in egypt, more angry protests in cairo against president morsi and his decree granting himself nearly absolute power. more than 200,000 people packed tahrir square. four female soldiers who served tours in afghanistan filed a federal lawsuit yesterday trying to force the pentagon to he said a ban on women serving in combat jobs. the suit says service women have often found themselves in combat without receiving the same rewards or opportunities for promotion. a federal judge is ordering bringing tobacco countries to run ads saying they deliberately deceived the public about the health effects of smoking. appeals are expected. and the kate middleton

opened a new gallery while debuting a new face framing hair do. layers there. maybe a little lighter, too. her royal highness got up close and personal with rare first editions of on the origin of species and birds of america. and now here is your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. the "chicago sun-times" reports former illinois congressman jesse jackson jr. may have been tipped off about the federal probe into his use of campaign funds. sources suggest jackson was alerted before taking that leave of absence back in june. they also say the tip may not the have come from investigators. we can't show you much, but here is what it looked like when nude protesters took over john boehner's capitol hill office on tuesday. they're angry over potential cuts in aids research. this is the number one story on politico. you remember her, gennifer flowers who claimed an affair with president bill clinton. she tells a tv station that

paula broadwell should call her because flowers has some, quote, really good advice. former senator bob dole will be released from walter reed medical center today. the 89-year-old spent the night there after what's being called a minor procedure. as she winds down her duties, hillary clinton was asked this which dignitary she's met over the years that was most memorable. clinton says it was nelson mandela whom she saw this past summer. >> even though he's over 90 and not in great health, he still just conveys such a sense of authority and presence. for all the reasons that are well-known publicly, --

>> reaction from sxerperp exper hold your breath. what story was searched more than any other this year? it was the launch of the iphone 5. we have our priorities straight apparently. that is your morning dish of scrambled politics. here is how wall street will kick off the day. the dow felt 89, s&p because down 7, nasdaq lost 9. taking a look at overseas, markets down also. in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 114, in hong kong the hang seng fell 135. so it was a lack of progress on fiscal cliff talks that stalled stocks tuesday. so today we'll have to see what happens when goldman sachs ceo lloyd blankfein, brian roberts, and marissa mayer jin other corporajoin other corporate execs at a meeting with the president. the beige book survey will be released.

the best consumer confidence reading in nearly five years took investors by surprise yesterday. green mountain coffee perked up more than 20%. elsewhere, monster beverage got a boost from news that the fda is taking a closer look at the health effects of energy drinks. investors are betting a looming crack down on the industry may be overblown. in the wake of apple's recent apology for the failings of its mapping app, a second employee has reportedly been fired. more than 15,000 of these step 2 children's riding toys are being recalled because kids who lean too far forward on the seat can go over the handle bar. consumer reports is out with its third annual naughty and nice list and it was nordstrom and kohl's that got thumbs up thanks to their hassle free return policies. while airlines delta and spirit get a lump of coal for their add-on fees. california's debt has put

the golden state at the bottom of the annual 50 state financial health check. and for the first time, it was north dakota that tops the list. that's thanks to an oil and gas boom that wiped out its budget deficit and brought unemployment to the lowest in the nation. coming up, a basketball round up. and remembering the man who transformed baseball. plus new york city's iconic empire state building shows off some new high tech lighting. ♪ if it wasn't for you ♪ don't know what i'd do ♪ i'd have nothing to prove ♪ i'd have nothing to lose ♪ i'd be all lost at sea ♪ with no reason to make it through ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing the celebration diamond collection. ♪ if it wasn't for you [ male announcer ] diamonds so expertly cut, we guarantee them for life. zales is the diamond store. let love shine.

. just a tragedy in new york last night as a commuter bus plow the into a long island home and killed a 6-year-old boy inside. the bus had swerved to avoid a pedestrian when it lost control. at least nine bus passengers were treated for injuries. to georgia where a similar accident almost killed a toddler inside a family's jewelry store. this 18 month old ran into his father's office just seconds before the 84-year-old driver plowed the car right into the store. the child suffered only minor injuries and the driver who was a customer was cited for reckless driving. the empire state building has added flare to the new york city skyline. alicia keys flipped the switch on the light show which was synchronized to her songs. the new lighting system displays over 16 million colors with various effects. and finally, one texas man

is using his noggin for a novel idea. the 27-year-old has hired a team of human billboards for bald logo.com. for 327 bucks a day, clients can temporarily tattoo their low go or brand new on on employees' scalps. a portion of profits will go towards helping people with alopecia, a hair loss disease that he suffers from. for sports, let's begin in the nba with 6ers and mavs. they held off a dallas rally for a 100-98 win. to college basketball, cody zeller scored 20 points as the hoosiers rolled over number 14 north care scakacarolina 83-59. and michigan got 16 points from tim hardaway jr. the wolverines held on to beat north carolina state 79-72. and the former leader of the

major league baseball players association, marvin miller, has died at age 95. he won free agency for players in 1975 that created the era of multimillion-dollar contracts. one former commissioner called miller baseball's most important figure of the last 50 years. all right. let's head back out into the plaza for another look at your weather with bill karins. i'm pretty fast there with that hot chocolate, bill. in the commercial break, i was able to get you that plus like a steaming hot plate of pancakes. amazing. >> did you leave it somewhere? >> well, you must have missed it or maybe the cameraman ate it. >> i saw you drink it is what i saw. well, good morning once again. the west coast is where all the attention will be for the next couple days as far as bad travel weather, and they'll get drenched. it is the rainy season. but if you're traveling anywhere in california and oregon, you'll see a lot of wet weather and gusty winds. this is just the beginning of it with the rain showing up along the northwest coast.

and you can see all the clouds and that storm system, it will stretch from north to south, even los angeles has a chance of seeing wet weather from the storm system and maybe even inland. so that's where all the stormy weather is. rest of the country looks great. rainfall totals are going to be very impressive. up to six inches in northern california and oregon coastline. the rest of the country, chip cal for this time of year. the afternoon hours look great. no problem. and especially a look at thursday's forecast shows pretty nice weather out there from the rockies all the way to the east coast. so, lynn, i need to call back mariah carey's people and i know last year i sat next to her and i was wondering do you want to sit next to her this year? >> that would be great. i was taking care of the twins earlier today, so it will work out. >> you are very busy. >> i know. just ahead, remorse on the set of "two and a half men."

plus kim jong-un celebrates heartthrob status. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% back on... [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% back on 4 trips to the airport. it's as easy as... -[ man ] 1... -[ woman ] 2... [ woman ] 3. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you.

every republican in congress has signed the no taxes pledge created by the president of americans for tax reform, grover norquist. but now some republicans are an ban toni donning the anti-tax pledge as fast as they abandoned -- what's his name? don't help me, don't help me.fas his name? don't help me, don't help me. rip flam bay. >> thousand about entertainment news. maybe angus t. jones doesn't want you to stop watching after

all. he released an apology after claiming viewer shoes stop watching it. in his statement he says he has the high he is respect for all the people he works with and is thankful for the opportunities they have given to him. all right. so former co-star charlie sheen has also decided to weigh in. knew that was coming, too. he says it is clear to him that the show is cursed. and recently we reported that the onion named kim jong-un 2012's sexiest man alive. all right. the joke was apparently lost on china's communist party newspaper. they went on to run a 55 page photo spread of the leader c congratulating him for the title. you can see how this would be confusing. >> very confusing. if you nominated me, i'd probably -- i wouldn't believe you. >> it's like when the main affiliate made you the sexiest man alive, i believed it, and i posted all these different

pictures of you. >> which ones, lynn? is. >> only from the show. >> do you have pictures of me that i don't know about in. >> screen grabs. i'm lynn berry and this is "1st look." but stay tuned, "way too early" starts right now. good morning. this is "way too early." thanks for being up with us. we have a lot of news to talk about on on this wednesday, november 28th, including new accusations from the senate's top republicans that president obama thinks he's still on the campaign trail and that's putting in to on jep arrested day compromise on the fiscal cliff. >> plus house republicans unveil the names of their committee leaders. why some critics say they're not heeding the lessons of the 2012 election. >> but first